15 Best Vegan Cocktail Recipes

15 Best Vegan Cocktail Recipes

At the risk of sounding like a raving alcoholic, we occasionally just like to relax with a few drinks.

And with the sun appearing more frequently and warmer, this is the ideal time to practice your mixology skills and try some vegan cocktail recipes for summer — or any time.

1. Pomegranate Margaritas

Who said margaritas were only good in the summer? This year-round favourite cocktail gets a pomegranate makeover and is both festive and sophisticated enough for a backyard BBQ.

Prep time: 15 minutes | Total time: 15 minutes | Servings: 6

Ingredients

• Lime zest: 1 tablespoon
• Kosher salt: 1 tablespoon (optional)
• White tequila, chilled: 1 cup
• Pomegranate juice, chilled: 1 cup
• Lime juice: ½ cup
• Lime wedge: 1
• Triple Sec: ¼ cup
• Simple syrup: 2 tablespoons
• Ice cubes
• Pomegranate seeds for garnish
• Lime slices for garnish

Method

1. Salt and lime zest should be combined on a small plate (if using). Mix tequila, Triple Sec, lime juice, simple syrup, and pomegranate juice in a pitcher. Six glasses should have rims coated with lime wedge and zest (or zest-salt mixture).
2. Each glass should have added around ½ cup of the margarita mixture on top of the ice. If desired, add lime and pomegranate seeds as a garnish.

2. Frozen Rainbow Margaritas

Celebrate Pride Month or any other occasion with these vivid, tropical-flavoured frozen margaritas.

Only organic ingredients and dyes are used in this four-layer fruity drink, including a brief infusion of dried butterfly pea blossoms for a striking blue colour.

This rainbow margarita is vibrant and zesty. You may make these lovely margaritas with fresh fruit.

Prep time: 10 minutes | Cook time: 30 minutes | Total time: 40 minutes | Servings: 4

Ingredients For The Butterfly Pea Flower-Infused Tequila

• Tequila: ½ cup
• Dried butterfly pea flowers: ¼ cup

Ingredients For The Green Layer

• Tequila: 1½ ounces
• Lime juice: 1 ounce
• Agave syrup: ½ ounce
• Avocado: ½ cup chopped
• Crushed ice: 1 cup

Ingredients For The Yellow Layer

• Tequila: 1½ ounces
• Lime juice: 1 ounce
• Agave syrup: ½ ounce
• Pineapple chunks: ½ cup
• Crushed ice: 1 cup

Ingredients For The Red Layer

• Tequila: 1½ ounces
• Lime juice: 2 ounces
• Strawberries: ½ cup chopped
• Crushed ice: 1 cup

Ingredients For The Blue Layer

• Butterfly pea flower-infused tequila: 1½ ounces
• Agave syrup: 1 ounce
• Crushed ice: 1 cup
• Lime slices for garnish

Method

1. Add 1/2 cup tequila and dried butterfly pea flowers in a container with a lid to make tequila with butterfly pea flower infusion. Tightly cover the container and shake to incorporate.
2. Allow to steep at room temperature for about 30 minutes or until the colour turns a deep blue. Reserve the tequila and strain through a fine-mesh strainer, tossing the flowers. (You'll have excess blue tequila; store any extra in the refrigerator for up to a week.)
3. Combine 1½ ounces of tequila, 1 lime, ½ ounce agave, 1 cup of ice, and 1 avocado in a blender to make the green layer. Blend until smooth on high. Split across four highball glasses.
4. Make the yellow layer, quickly rinse the blender, and then blend 1 cup of ice, 1½ ounces of tequila, 1 ounce of lime juice, ½ ounce of agave, and 1 ounce of pineapple in a blender. Blend until smooth on high. Distribute among the cups.
5. Make the red layer, quickly rinse the blender, and then strawberries, 2 ounces lime juice, 1 cup ice, and 1½ ounces tequila should all be added to the blender. Blend until smooth on high. Distribute among the cups.
6. Make the blue layer, quickly rinse the blender, and then blend with ice, agave, and 1½ ounces of the blue tequila set aside. Blend until smooth on high. Distribute among the cups.
7. If desired, add a lime slice to the garnish of each drink and serve with straws.

3. Classic Mai Tai

The ingredients for a traditional mai tai drink are two types of rum: orange liqueur, lime juice, and almond syrup.

We'll teach you how to prepare a slightly different version that is just as delicious if you don't have all those ingredients sitting about in your kitchen cabinets.

Prep time: 5 minutes | Total time: 5 minutes | Servings: 1

Ingredients

• Crushed ice
• White rum: 1½ ounces or other unflavoured rum
• Fresh lime juice: 2 tablespoons
• Orange liqueur: ½ ounce or orange juice: 1 tablespoon
• Orgeat syrup: 1 tablespoon
• Dark rum: ½ ounce
• Ground cinnamon: ⅛ teaspoon
• Lime slice, mint sprig and organic edible flower for garnish

Method

1. Crushed ice should be used to the brim of a glass. Add more ice to a cocktail shaker before adding the white rum, lime juice, orange liqueur (or orange juice), and orgeat syrup. Strain into the prepared glass after shaking the cover until cooled. Pour dark rum gently over the beverage's top (you can run it over the back of a spoon into the top of the glass to “float” it.
2. Sprinkle some cinnamon on top of the beverage before adding a lime slice, a mint sprig, and/or a flower, if preferred, as a garnish.

4. Beet-Infused Gin & Tonic

This inventive take on a summertime classic comes from Lake Avenue Restaurant & Bar in Duluth, Minnesota.

Roasted beets give it an earthy taste. You'll have a large batch of infused gin for future gin and tonics that are simple.

Try other combinations; its earthy flavour goes well with bitters and amaros in other drinks.

Prep time: 15 minutes | Cook time: 30 minutes | Cooling time: 1 hour | Standing time: 4 hours | Total: 5 hours 45 minutes | Servings: 1

Ingredients

• Cubed beets: 8 cups (about 10 medium)
• Fresh rosemary, divided: 8 sprigs
• Bottle gin: 1 (750 ml)
• Ice
• Tonic water: 4 ounces
• Lemon wedge, beet slice and rosemary sprig for garnish

Method

1. Set oven to 350°F. On a sizable baking sheet with a rim, arrange 6 rosemary sprigs and the beets. Roast for about 30 minutes, stirring once or twice, until tender.
2. After letting the beets cool for about an hour to room temperature, discard the rosemary.
3. In a large bowl or gallon jar, combine the beets and the remaining 2 sprigs of rosemary. Add gin. Cover and leave in a cool, dark location for at least four hours or up to three days. Through a fine-mesh sieve, strain the gin (discard the beets and rosemary).
4. Ice should fill a rock's glass halfway. Include 1½ ounces of gin. Add tonic water on top and add garnishes as desired.

5. Classic Daiquiri

This remarkably straightforward daiquiri is ideal if you're at home and looking for a short tropical happy hour vacation. All you need for a beachy atmosphere in the comfort of your own home is rum, fresh lime juice, and sugar.

Prep time: 5 minutes | Total: 5 minutes | Servings: 1

Ingredients

• Fresh lime juice: 2
• Sugar: 1 teaspoon
• Light rum: 2 ounces
• Slice lime for garnish: 1

Method

1. In a cocktail shaker, combine the juice and sugar; swirl until the sugar has completely dissolved. Add rum and ice to the shaker until it is ¾ full.
2. Shake while covering until cool. Place the daiquiri in a coupe or other compact cocktail glass after straining. If desired, add a lime slice as a garnish.

6. Farmer Cocktail

This bourbon-spiked lemonade cocktail recipe is uplifting. Rum, gin, or vodka would all make beautiful alternatives if bourbon isn't your thing.

Prep time: 5 minutes | Total time: 5 minutes | Servings: 1

Ingredients

• Fresh mint: 1 sprig
• Crushed ice
• Lemonade: ¾ cup
• Bourbon: 3 tablespoons
• Lemon slice for garnish

Method

1. With a muddler or small wooden spoon, mash the mint in the bottom of a pint glass to release the oils from the stem and leaves.
2. Crushed ice should make up about a third of the glass. Whiskey and lemonade should then be added and combined. Add a lemon slice as a garnish.

7. Tequila Sunrise

The grenadine gives this classic cocktail, which is simple to create and sip, its gorgeous hue. You can brew your own grenadine or substitute simple syrup if you don't have any on hand.

Even though you won't get the colour, the taste is still crucial, so don't worry! Orange juice from the store or freshly squeezed can be used to make this beverage; freshly squeezed juice will result in a sweeter cocktail.

Prep time: 5 minutes | Total: 5 minutes | Servings: 1

Ingredients

• Ice
• Oranges: 4, thinly sliced and divided
• Tequila: 1½ ounces
• Orange juice: ½ cup
• Grenadine or other syrup: ½ ounce
• Maraschino cherry: 1 for garnish

Method

1. After adding ice to a tall glass, three orange slices should be placed decoratively between the ice cubes and the glass's interior.
2. Orange juice should be added after the tequila. Slowly drizzle grenadine (or simple syrup) on top of the beverage. If preferred, garnish with the final orange slice and a cherry.

8. Smoky Tajín Margarita

It's like a vacation in a glass with this simple margarita recipe. Tajin, a seasoning mix of chillis and limes, contrasts with the sweet orange and agave.

Prep time: 5 minutes | Total time: 5 minutes | Servings: 1

Ingredients

• Ice cubes: 4, plus more for serving
• Lime juice: 1 ounce, plus lime wedge for garnish
• Mezcal: 1 ounce
• Orange liqueur: ½ ounce, such as Grand Marnier
• Agave nectar: ¼ ounce
• Chile-lime seasoning: ⅛ teaspoon, such as Tajín, plus more for the rim

Method

1. Combine ice, lime juice, mezcal (or tequila), orange liqueur, agave, and chilli-lime spice in a cocktail shaker or jar with a tight-fitting cover.
2. For ten seconds, shake. If preferred, dip the rim of a lowball glass in chilli-lime seasoning after rubbing it with a lime slice. After adding ice to the glass, strain the cocktail within.

9. Classic Negroni

About a century ago, this beautiful red bittersweet cocktail was initially made in Italy, and it is still a hugely popular aperitif today.

The Negroni is a fantastic cocktail to liven up a happy hour because it is made from ordinary home bar bottles. You lack gin. For a traditional Boulevardier, use rye whiskey or bourbon as a substitute!

Prep time: 5 minutes | Total: 5 minutes | Servings: 1

Ingredients

• Gin: 1 ounce
• Campari: 1 ounce
• Sweet vermouth: 1 ounce
• Ice
• Orange twist for garnish

Method

1. In a mixing glass, combine gin, Campari, and sweet vermouth. Ice should be poured into the glass to a depth of three-fourths. Stir for 30 seconds to chill. Pour the cocktail through a strainer into an ice-filled rock glass. If desired, add an orange twist as a garnish.

10. Maple Whiskey Sour

We have good news if you're looking for a quick happy hour recipe but are short on ingredients: you don't need a completely stocked bar to make a tasty whiskey sour.

Ideally, you have a little whiskey or bourbon, maple syrup, and fresh citrus. Add some aquafaba to the mixture if you want to upgrade your beverage.

It creates a beautiful foam layer on top without conventional egg white, which is unnecessary.

Prep time: 5 minutes | Total: 5 minutes | Servings: 1

Ingredients

• Whiskey or bourbon: 1½ ounces
• Fresh lemon or lime juice: 2 tablespoons
• Pure maple syrup: 1 tablespoon plus a drizzle for garnish
• Citrus bitters: 3 drops (optional)
• Ice
• Aquafaba: 3 tablespoons (liquid from a can of no-salt-added chickpeas; optional)
• Citrus peel for garnish

Method

1. A small glass should be chilled in the freezer. In a shaker with ice, combine whiskey (or bourbon), lemon juice (or other juice), maple syrup, and bitters (if using). Pour into the chilled glass after shaking until cooled. (Optional: shake until cooled for a foamy top.
2. Take the ice out of the shaker. Shake the liquid briskly for 20 seconds after adding the aquafaba to get it frothy. Pour into the glass of ice. Before adding the garnish, let the foam settle.
3. If desired, garnish with lemon peel and drizzle with maple syrup.

11. Jalapeño Margaritas

This jalapeño margarita with less sugar is a spicy beverage! Fresh orange juice and a small amount of simple syrup steeped with jalapeño segments are used to sweeten this zingy beverage. Add more chilli slices to the sugar mixture if you prefer more heat.

Prep time: 10 minutes | Cook and rest time: 20 minutes | Chill time: 1 hour | Total: 1 hour 30 minutes | Servings: 8

Ingredients

• Granulated sugar: ½ cup
• Water: ½ cup
• Slices jalapeño pepper: 4-6, plus more for garnish
• Blanco tequila: 2 cups
• Lime juice: ½ cup
• Orange juice: ½ cup
• Ice cubes for serving

Method

1. Combine the sugar, water, and jalapeno slices in a small saucepan. Over medium-high heat, whisk the mixture until the sugar melts. Bring the mixture to a boil, lower the heat to medium, and simmer for one minute while stirring now and again.
2. Let the jalapeño mixture rest for 20 minutes after turning off the heat source. Discard the sediments after pouring the fluid through a fine-mesh strainer into a small container.
3. In a pitcher, mix the tequila, lime juice, orange juice, and jalapeño simple syrup; chill for about an hour or until very cold. Pour into rocks glasses with ice; top with a slice of jalapeno, if you want, and serve immediately.

12. Elderberry Sunset Cocktail

If you've tried the fashionable St-Germain elderflower liqueur, made from the same plant, the flavour of elderberry syrup is pretty similar but not as floral. It is called for in this delightful drink.

For this cocktail and your health, stock up on the syrup because studies show that it might hasten your recovery from a cold.

Prep time: 5 minutes | Total: 5 minutes | Servings: 1

Ingredients

• Ice
• Vodka: 2 ounces
• Elderberry syrup: 1 ounce
• Bénédictine liqueur: 1 teaspoon
• Fever-Tree bitter lemon mixer: 2 ounces
• Lemon twist for garnish

Method

1. The shaker with ice should be half full. Vodka, elderberry syrup, and Benedictine should be added. Shake for 30 seconds, strain into an ice-filled glass, and top with a sour lemon slice. Add a squeeze of lemon as a garnish.

13. Old Fashioned Cocktail

This cocktail is so simple to create that everyone should know how. Old Fashioneds are simple to make and always in style.

Prep time: 5 minutes | Total: 5 minutes | Servings: 1

Ingredients

• Sugar cube: 1
• Angostura bitters: 2 or 3 dashes
• Bourbon or rye whiskey: 1½ ounces
• Ice cubes
• Orange peel: 1- 2-inch piece

Method

1. A rock's glass should contain a sugar cube. Use a muddler or sturdy spoon to smash the sugar cube into pieces after dropping the bitters on top of it. Stir in the ice cubes and bourbon (or rye) when the sugar mostly dissolves. Orange peel is used as a garnish.

14. Rose Mojito

Cocktail hour can be easily improved by serving simple homemade syrup delicately scented with rose petals.

You may get dried rose petals online or in the bulk herb department's stocked supermarkets and natural food stores.

Prep time: 15 minutes | Cook and cooling time: 45 minutes | Total time: 1 hour | Servings: 1

Ingredients For The Rose Simple Syrup

• Granulated sugar: 1 cup
• Water: 1 cup
• Dried rose petals: 2 tablespoons or other edible dried flowers

Ingredients For The Mojito

• White rum: 2 ounces
• Lime juice: 1 ounce
• Fresh mint leaves, torn: 12
• Ice
• Club soda: 1 ounce
• Lime wedge for serving

Method

1. Making simple syrup: Mix the sugar and water in a small pan. Using high heat, bring to a boil. Cook for approximately a minute while stirring to dissolve the sugar completely.
2. Get rid of the heat. Add the flowers and stir. After 45 minutes, let the mixture cool to room temperature. Refrigerate for up to a month after straining (removing the blossoms). (Produces 1-1¼ cups.)
3. Stir rum, lime juice, one ounce of simple syrup, and mint leaves in a tall glass to make a mojito. Stir again after adding the ice and club soda. If desired, add a lime slice as a garnish.

15. Red Wine Cooler

Nothing is better for sunny summer days than whipping up a wag cooler suitable for your diet.

Prep time: 5 minutes | Total: 5 minutes | Servings: 2

Ingredients

• Red wine: 5 fluid ounces, such as Cabernet Sauvignon, chilled
• Diet ginger ale, chilled: 6 fluid ounces
• Halved orange slice: 1, and raspberries for garnish

Method

1. Pour wine into two glasses measuring 6-8 ounces each. Add half of the diet ginger ale to each glass as a final touch. Serve right away. Orange and raspberries can be used as a garnish.

Conclusion

Cocktails are a fun way to enjoy alcoholic refreshments, whether hosting a BBQ, a summer party, or just catching up with friends.

I trust you enjoyed this article about the 15 Best Vegan Cocktail Recipes. Please stay tuned for more blog posts to come shortly. Take care!

JeannetteZ

 

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